What will I be teaching?
Do I need special training?
How much will I be teaching?
What's the weather like?
What are the key dates?
Where will I be staying?
How much does it cost?
What are the projected activites? Will this proje
ct get cancelled?
Will we have internet access?
What medical facilities are there?
What immunizations do I need?
Are there safety precautions?
What will we be eating?
Is there any cultural training?
What are the long range plans?
Dr. Howell meeting with Buddhist school administrators in Bangkok, Thailand.
Students begin the school day with a chant. This is similar to American students reciting the pledge of allegiance.
Those taking the Bangkok tour will get to experience the majestic Grand Palace.
Those taking the Cambodian tour will get to experience one of the seven wonders of the medieval world - the amazing Angkor Wat.
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FAQs Frequently Asked Questions |
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Printable Version (pdf)
IT 343/743 Teaching, Technology & Thailand
This is the first year for this ‘Summer’ study abroad project so this is a work in progress. Additionally, this is a joint project between Emporia State University and Legacy Foundation. Although this is a university class, worth three credits from Emporia State University, volunteers are welcome to participate without taking the class for credit.
What will I be teaching?
You will teach students introductory English and/or basic technology subjects. We should have children classes and adult classes for both computer and English. All will probably know the English alphabet and simple reading.
Do I need special training? Are those enrolled in this class certified ESL teachers, technology teachers, certified teachers or anyone who speaks English?
Anyone who speaks English is the short answer. I will be setting up the curriculum for the technology and ESL classes for this project. I don't pretend to be an ESL expert so I'm looking for help and advice. When I taught ESL in Thailand and Sri Lanka, I used the Silent Way. Dr. Sehlaoui has advised the use of C.A.L.L. (Computer Assisted Language Learning) software. We’ve purchased over a dozen of these programs that we will be using.
What does a teaching day looks like?
Our plan is to have students pair up and teach together. You should have at least two classes to teach everyday with Saturday and Sunday off.
What will the weather/temperature be like and how should I dress for it?
Hot in day -- potentially cool at night. Dress in cotton and dress in layers. NO short shorts or sunning in bikinis at job site. Save this for R&R. Try to keep belly buttons covered because of cultural sensitivities. Always remember we are GUESTS and connected with palace. We must respect local sensitivities.
What are the key dates? (See the Calendar Link for more specifics!)
Online Class Starts: June 15th
Deadline 1: Pay $1500 check to Dusti Howell by February 16, 2009
Deadline 2: Pay your remaining fees to Dusti Howell by March 13, 2009.
5 Week Option: June 15th to July 21st.
This group will fly from Kansas City on June 15th and return to Kansas City on July 21st.
8 Week Option: June 15th to August 9th
This group will fly from Kansas City on June 15th and return to Kansas City on July 21st.
Cambodia and Bangkok Tour (8 week group): August 2nd to 9th.
What type of housing accommodations will we have?
A Thai style house with squat toilet, mosquito nets and klong jar baths. You've always heard about the 3rd world. Now you get to experience it first hand. I've applied for a sabbatical to work on this project. If it is accepted, I will be bringing my entire family along. My three elementary school age kids will be living here with us. If my seven year old kid can do this, so can you!
What are some of the projected activites for each of the places we will visit?
Projected Chiang Mai Activities:
1) Day one: Walk to Tops and exchange money.
2) Weekend One: Elephant rides, bamboo rafting and visit to a hill tribe village was a great intro activity for bonding as a group. This shows a critical aspect of Thailand’s agro/eco tourism. Book Siam Eco Life Tour (Michael) 053-218706 or 098-2640779 or siamecolife@yahoo.com
3) Mid week: Hill tribe museum
4) Weekend Two: Snake farm (10-4pm everyday at 200 baht for half hour show) and monkey school (open 9-4:30 for an hour at 200 baht )
5) Weekend Three: Trip up to Doi Saket and a trip to the US Consulate on July 4th.
6) Visit Sunday Night Market – Critical spot for Thai economy and hot spot for a variety of local foods.
7) -Viewing of Free Burma Rangers Documentary-With students being close to Burma/Myanmar and since most/all of the teaching will incorporate many Hill Tribes from across the border; ESU students must know what is/has occurring/occurred to those they teach.
Projected Pangtong Activities
1) Rom Thai (Nest to home stay Shan village, Queen’s guest houses on the lake) 350 Baht with Queen bed and toilet.. The Shan village leader is a Yunnan Chinese man who walked to Thailand from west of Shanghai as a 9 year old at the time of Mao’s take over. His brother went to Taiwan. He thought that Burma was 300 km and that the zoo and middle school were 1.5 km away. Actually you can walk to the zoo and middle school, if you are a fast mountain walker like many hill tribe people are, in about 40 minutes. It took us about an hour to drive there.
2) Ban Oong National Park
3) Fish Cave: On the way to Mae Hong Son, has huge vegetarian fish.
4) Ban Rak Thai: Yunnan village on Burmese border
5) Burma: this is possible according to school director but you won’t get passport stamps
6) Palace and Zoo:
Proposed Laos Activities
Luang Prabang is essential. The giving of Alms to the monks was a good experience and also reveals cultural traditions as well as societal support for religion and tradition. The Luang Prabang Night Market was also excellent.
Projected Cambodia/Kampuchean Activities:
Killing Fields, S-21 school - prison, Skoun or “Spider Ville,” ANGKOR Complex! Museum, Orphan Restaurant. These activities will be hosted by our guide from the Smiling Albino (http://www.smilingalbino.com).
1) Sunday Market (Chat to Chak market)
2) Everyday Spa – after work massage (350 baht)
3) Wat Po and the reclining Buddha (massage school)
4) Tha Tian water exit to Wat Arun and climb to the top.
5) River dinner cruise
6) Siam Center for a movie
TOP
Many study abroad classes end up getting cancelled because of low interest. How many students do you have to have enrolled for the class to make?
Six.
Will we be staying in the hill tribe areas the entire time or will we travel back to Chiang Mai on the weekends? I am hoping on having internet access during that time.
While in Chiang Mai, you will have easy access to the Internet. At Pangtong school, two computers are online via satellite. One is in the office and one in the computer classroom. You should be able to get online once or twice a week while there.
What is the availability of medical attention if one were to sprain an ankle or get sick and need a doctor's care?
Usually, the village has a clinic or small hospital. Serious medical attention would take at least an hour or two to get to a good hospital. ESU Study Abroad students are required to have health insurance that is valid for the country to which they are traveling.
What immunizations are required for travel there?
There are no immunizations that are REQUIRED for travel to Thailand. However, there are several that are recommended. You need to consult with your family doctor or get advice from the student health center here on campus and then make a decision that works best for you. All study abroad students sign a form that removes the school from liability. Your own health insurance may cover vaccines. Also, local health departments may be able to administer these vaccines. The student health center here at ESU, as recommended by the CDC, advises getting the following:
- Hep A (2 shots 6 months apart), Hep B (3 shots over 6 months), Typhoid
- Hep A costs $26 per shot; Hep B is $28 per shot; Typhoid is around $45 (at the student health center). If there is not time to complete the series, the majority of the immunity comes from the first dose of Hep A and the first 2 doses of Hep B.
- Routine updates of Tetanus ($45), MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella), and a one-time adult dose of Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV).
- MMR and IPV are not available at student health.
- Malaria prophylaxis is recommended. Fortunately the inexpensive pills are recommended for this area of Thailand.
- Doxycycline 100mg daily for 2 days prior to arrival, during the stay and for 4 weeks after return. Other options are available for those who cannot take tetracyclines.
- Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies may possibly be advised.
- These are not available at student health services.
What are some of the safety precautions?
Don't travel alone, especially if you are a girl. Don't wonder off into the jungle. Don't have unprotected sex with locals (even in the big city). Don't get drunk unless you have a SOBER friend you can trust with you at all times. Have plenty of mosquito repellant and use it liberally. Everyone should sleep under mosquito net ALWAYS evenings and at night. Don't drink the water. Make sure it is bottled or at least boiled. (TRUST ME -- YOU WILL GET SICK IF YOU DRINK BAD WATER!) Some may get diarrhea for a few days as the internal bacteria needs to get adjusted. Nothing to worry about, this is natural. If diarrhea lasts more than a week -we need to take to hospital.
I was wondering what type of food was going to be eaten on the Thailand
trip?
Fried rice, Thai soups and lots of veggies. Our partner, Legacy Institute, has years of experience as to what goes over well with Americans. But you have to understand it is not going to be hamburgers, french fries and pizza. It will be lots of veggies, rice and a little meat. If you have McDonald's withdrawal symptoms you will need to get junk food fixes with your own money when you get to Chiang Mai (on the weekends).
On the weekends in Chiang Mai, as part of our cultural training, we will do our best to share with you some of the wonders of Thai cuisine. I will mention that Thai fried rice with pineapples is great as are Thai curries. Kang Keaw Wan (Thai Green Sweet Curry) is my favorite food on the planet, and I'm a guy that won a pizza eating contest in college. If they had a Thai curry contest, I'd probably still be eating. I will also mention that Thai fruits are amazing. Mangosteen, rambutan, longan, jackfruit and the king of all Asian fruits - Durian, should all be in season in July when we go, as well as plenty of the different types of bananas grown in Thailand. http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/fruit-tfruit.html
What culture training will be given about Thailand and the Hilltribes?
The online portion of the class that starts in early June is an orientation that will cover this material. More specifically we will cover the Thai greeting, position of the hands, famous faux pas (left hand), language differences (royalty, monks, lay), the pursuit of modernization that destroyed the pink village, average day in the life of a thai (hilltribe, urban, rural, male, female, child, etc.) We also want to showcase how Americans have been perceived in these areas by reading a book called "The Ugly American." this book is dated but is based around a fictional country in S.E.Asia and still has material that is applicable.
What are the long range plans for this project?
Long range plans for this class over the next few years plan to integrate internet via satellite and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). On a May 20, 2007 episode on CBS’s 60 Minutes MIT’s Negroponte shows how a 10-year old in a remote Cambodian village, who has never experienced electricity before, figures out the computer in about three minutes without any help. For this to be true, it requires a high level of Instructional Design to be developed into both the hardware and software. MIT’s pilot run in the remote Cambodian village showcased a number of other findings regarding the durability of the laptop, theft prevention technology and recharging alternatives in areas without electricity. Interestingly, first grade enrollment increased by 50 percent after children who attended class received a computer. When these $100 laptops are eventually allowed into Thailand we want to have the software and educational logistics worked out so we will be prepared to use these on a much bigger scale.
Q: Would nice capries be ok to teach in? or dark jeans?
A: My wife will be wearing some nice looking Capris.
I plan on wearing black jeans that are don't have a large Levi, Wrangler, or Polo label on the back. They look dressy casual.
You can wear Blue jeans when you are not teaching... as long as they aren't low riders with holes.